<header><a href="/index.html">Theosis</a></header>

Perennial Philosophy is the view that there is an esoteric 
unity between various traditional religions in the world.
The first thing quoted when this view is brought up in 
regard to Christianity is John 14:6 where Jesus says:
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"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man cometh unto
the Father, but by Me."
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At first this seems like a plausible response. However, one
practically has to ignore ecumenical creeds to make it work.
The Nicene Creed states that the Son "for us men and our
salvation became man". Jesus Christ is the incarnation of 
the Logos, the Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy
Trinity. This means that when the man Jesus Christ is 
speaking, it is the Logos speaking. Therefore, this isn't
proof that the historical person of Jesus Christ is the only
means to the Father. It is the Son of God who is the only
means to the Father. 
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Another objection is St. Paul's statement of there being 
"no other name under heaven". However, this is easily
refuted when looking at the traditional iconography. It
isn't the name of Jesus Christ at the top of Jesus Christ's
icons. It is the Greek letters for "the One who is", which
is a reference to His Divinity. Jesus Christ is only one of
the Son's Names in the tradition of the church. It should
also be noted that in Greek "Name" can denote someone's 
character or essence. 
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We also know that the Incarnation is an ever present reality,
and that Jesus Christ was "slain before the foundation of the
world". There is nothing in any ecumenical council stating that
the Logos didn't incarnate as other figures in history. However,
as Christians, we are to accept Jesus Christ as the "fullness of
the Godhead bodily"; also we are to accept His death, burial 
(including descent into the dead), and resurrection. None of
these can for a moment be brought into dispute without entering
the realm of heresy. 
